A boy and his mother and father are going on vacation to the island of Mljet in Yugoslavia. They wait on a pier with several German tourists to go to the island. A decrepit boat arrives and they are on their way. When he arrives his Uncle Julius and Aunt Lyudmila greet him and he is grossed out by their appearance and smell. He lays awake the first night looking at the picture of Mljet hanging up in the room he is staying in. Eventually he falls asleep but wakes up later in the night. He sees his parents and aunt and uncle talking and laughing. One day during the week, Uncle Julius tells a story to the boy and the rest of the family about his time in a prison camp in Russia. He says that eventually the government decided that children who were repeatedly tardy to class or missed class entirely would be sent to a camp for a couple months. The children were abused and many died. He remembers a kid named Vankya who survived by stealing from weaker kids, giving himself up to inmates, and bribing guards. One day while drunk, he mockingly thanked the government for his happy childhood and was dragged away. Uncle Julius then says that he eventually reunited with Vankya at another camp where Vankya begged him to let him die. Uncle Julius is reluctant to continue, but when pressed he simply says that he was killed. After a week, the family says goodbye to the aunt and uncle and returns home. When they get back they discover their plants have wilted and their cat is mad with hunger because their scheduled house sitter died of a sudden heart attack.